With a Big If, the N.F.L. Has a Schedule

By JUDY BATTISTA

Published: April 20, 2011

The N.F.L. released the 2011 schedule Tuesday, but perhaps it should be written in pencil.

With a lockout having shut down the league since March 12, and owners and players battling in court and at the negotiating table, there is no guarantee that the two most recent Super Bowl champions - the New Orleans Saints and the defending champion Green Bay Packers - will open the season as scheduled on Thursday, Sept. 8, in Green Bay.

Still, the release of the schedule was one of the few shreds of normalcy this off-season.

The first Sunday of the season falls on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the N.F.L. planned a matchup of the Giants and the host Washington Redskins to recognize the day.

There had been speculation that the Jets would host the Giants to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary. The N.F.L. gave the matchup consideration, but given the complexities of the schedule, the league could not make that game work for the opener, a person briefed on the making of the schedule said.

Instead, the Jets will host the Dallas Cowboys that night at New Meadowlands Stadium, in the first of the Jets' five prime-time games. The Giants and the Jets will play Saturday, Dec. 24, in a Jets home game.

With Christmas falling on a Sunday, most games that weekend will be played on Saturday. The Packers will host the Chicago Bears on Christmas night.

The Giants are scheduled for four prime-time games, against the St. Louis Rams (Sept. 19), at the Philadelphia Eagles (Nov. 20), at the Saints (Nov. 28) and at the Cowboys (Dec. 11). They will play the Cowboys twice in the final four weeks of the season, including the finale on Jan. 1.

But the Giants will have a decided travel advantage late in the season: they do not have to leave the New York area after Dec. 11.

The Jets' prime-time games are against the Cowboys, at the Baltimore Ravens (Oct. 2), against the Miami Dolphins (Oct. 17) and against the New England Patriots (Nov. 13). The Jets play three straight road games - against the Oakland Raiders (Sept. 25), the Ravens and the Patriots (Oct. 9).

The Indianapolis Colts will play five prime-time games for the fourth consecutive season, including one on Dec. 4 at the Patriots. The Detroit Lions will host the Bears on Oct. 10, the Lions' first nationally televised Monday night game in a decade.

The Lions will also host their traditional Thanksgiving game, against the Packers. Dallas will host the Dolphins and the Ravens will host the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night, matching the coaching brothers John and Jim Harbaugh.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.